The Calgary Flames have two players representing their countries at the Olympic Games in Sochi. As the men’s ice hockey tournament gets under way this week, here’s a quick glance at Calgary’s Olympic Flames.
Reto Berra, Goaltender, Switzerland
Jonas Hiller has earned the starter’s role for Switzerland with his thus-far terrific season with the league-leading Anaheim Ducks, and most are pinning Switzerland’s fortunes in this tournament on his performance. It’s therefore unlikely that Berra will see much Olympic play, but the fact that the 27-year-old is representing his country at the Games is outstanding in its own right.
Playing in his first NHL season with one of the league’s worst teams, Berra’s performance with the Flames so far this year has been promising. He’s been the team’s best player on many occasions, highlighting steadily improving play with numerous saves that could have had him locked up for larceny. His seasonal numbers aren’t stellar, but they should be taken with a grain of salt based on the team in front of him. He also heads into the Olympics riding a bit of a personal tear since replacing Karri Ramo in a 4-3 overtime win against the Wild last Saturday. He allowed three goals on just 17 shots in that contest, but he has a combined .937 save-percentage in three games since. And although he already had seven of Calgary’s 22 wins, Thursday night’s triumph over Canadian Olympian John Tavares and his New York Islanders marked Berra’s first regulation win of the season.
Berra also has experience in international play, having twice represented Switzerland at the IIHF World Championships. In his most recent appearance at the 2013 Stockholm-Helsinki tournament, Berra went undefeated in four games with a GAA of 1.00 and a single shut-out en-route to Switzerland’s shocking second-place finish. He may not be a goaltender of Hiller’s calibre, but he’s certainly a qualified back-up. Given the opportunity, he certainly has the potential to steal a game for his country.
Ladislav Smid, Defenceman, Czech Republic
Though Ladislav Smid left Calgary’s last pre-Olympic game with a lower-body injury in the third period, he will indeed be competing in Sochi.
Smid turned 28 on Feb. 1, but he’s still one of the youngest players on the Czech blueline. Of the eight Czech defenceman going to Sochi, Smid is older than only one: 23-year-old Tampa Bay Lightning sophomore Radko Gudas. The former Oiler arrived in Calgary in early November as part of just the second trade between the Alberta clubs, stepping into a top defensive role with the Flames almost immediately. Smid heads to the Olympics leading all Flames defencemen in hits, and his 137 blocked shots this season is good for fifth in the league.
This will be Smid’s first Olympic Games, but he’s no stranger to international competition. He has represented the Czech Republic at the World Juniors on three occasions, and has helped his country win a bronze medal in both that tournament and the U18 World Championships. He’s also played in the World Championships twice, including the Stockholm-Helsinki tournament.
Smid’s exact position on his country’s defensive depth-chart is uncertain. But thanks to Bob Hartley’s pairing of Smid with Mark Giordano on Calgary’s top shut-down unit earlier this season, Smid now has experience playing both sides of the ice, which certainly makes him more flexible up within the Czech line-up. With an underwhelming goaltending roster in a tournament loaded with the world’s top goal-scorers, the Czechs will certainly be counting on Smid’s physicality and defensive style.
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